Poll

Education

Lancaster High School is the only campus in the county that will have different traffic patterns at the opening of the school year due to construction projects.
Bryan Vaughn, Lancaster County School District safety and transportation director, said there is a new bus loading and unloading area at LHS.
“We’re inverting where the bus loop is and the front loop where the drop-off is,” Vaughn said. “Car traffic, at this point, will remain the same at the upper middle parking lot.”

Make that list and check it twice. No, not for Santa – for tax-free back-to-school shopping during the annual S.C. Sales-Tax-Free Weekend.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 6, book bags, clothing, pencils, paper and other school supplies are exempt from the 6 percent state sales tax.
The S.C. Department of Revenue estimates shoppers have saved between $2 million and $3 million during past tax holiday weekends.

One of his first days on the job, Dr. Jonathan Phipps arrived at the Lancaster County School District office at 6:45 a.m.
The district’s new superintendent sat at his new desk preparing for meetings, reviewing routine paperwork, and returning e-mails and phone calls. Already, the schedule was hectic and varied.
“You never have the same day twice,” he said.
He jotted notes in a journal to keep track of events. He’s kept one for the last 10 years.

The Lancaster County School District has announced its policy for free and reduced-price meals for children served in schools under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. Local school officials have adopted the household size and income criteria for determining eligibility starting July 1 as seen in the accompanying table.

Registration dates have been set for the 2017-18 school year.
No general school fees will be charged this year, although fees may be charged for activities such as band, driver education, clubs and yearbooks.
School insurance will not be on sale during registration.

More than 40 kids attended Mount Carmel AME Zion Church’s Motivated Reading program on Tuesday.
In its fifth year, the free event targets students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Program coordinator Tammie White said the church has always been interested in getting students to read.
“Teachers stress during the summer months that students need to read,” White said. “We’re trying to keep them motivated.”

The J. Marion Sims Foundation on Tuesday introduced to the community seven new College Advising Corps advisers, who begin their work this fall with students in Lancaster and Chester counties.
The national college advising program, to be piloted in Chester and Lancaster high schools, serves students and schools in 15 other states through partnerships in 600 high schools. South Carolina’s program will be the 16th in the nation, and will add seven high schools to the national CAC network.

A crowd of nearly 30 people surprised Dr. Gene Moore, soon-to-be retired Lancaster County School District superintendent, with a party Tuesday evening.
District staff and community leaders met in USC Lancaster’s Arnold Special Events Room to tell Moore goodbye after nearly 12 years as LCSD superintendent.
Moore, who announced his retirement in January, said he was told the party was for the new superintendent, Dr. Jonathan Phipps.